Recurrent canker sores afflict about 20 percent of the general population. The medical term for the sores is aphthous stomatitis.
Canker sores are usually found in the mouth, including the tongue or the inside linings of the lips and cheeks. They begin as small oval or round reddish swellings, which usually burst within a day. The ruptured sores are covered by a thin white or yellow membrane and edged by a red halo. Generally, they heal within 2 weeks. Canker sores range in size from an eighth of an inch wide in mild cases to more than an inch wide in severe cases. Severe canker sores may leave scars. Fever is rare, and the sores are rarely associated with other diseases. Usually a person will have only one or a few canker sores at a time.
Most people have their first bout with canker sores between the ages of 10 and 20. Children as young as 2, however, may develop the condition. The frequency of canker sore recurrences varies considerably. Some people have only one or two episodes a year, while others may have a continuous series of canker sores.
The cause of canker sores is not well understood. More than one cause is likely, even for individual patients. Canker sores do not appear to be caused by viruses or bacteria, although an allergy to a type of bacterium commonly found in the mouth may trigger them in some people. The sores may be an allergic reaction to certain foods. In addition, there is research suggesting, that canker sores may be caused by a faulty immune system that uses the body's defenses against disease to attack and destroy the normal cells of the mouth or tongue.
There are several treatments for reducing the pain and duration of canker sores for patients whose outbreaks cannot be prevented. The majority of these are numbing ointments such as benzocaine, which are available in drug stores without a prescription. Anti-inflammatory steroid mouth-rinses or gels can be prescribed for patients with severe sores to ease pain episodes. A significant drawback of ointments that only treat the pain of canker sores is that the do nothing to speed healing or prevent bacterial infections of the sores.
Mouth-rinses containing the antibiotic tetracycline may reduce the unpleasant symptoms of canker sores and speed healing by preventing bacterial infections in the sores. One drawback of steroid and tetracycline treatments is that they require a prescription and care of a dentist or physician. Another drawback of these treatments is that they are designed to prevent secondary bacterial infections from forming in the canker sore lesion rather than addressing the canker sore itself. A further drawback of these treatments is that some individuals have allergies to their effective ingredients.
In addition to the foregoing, prior art treatments suffer from additional drawbacks. For example, most widely available applications for treating canker sores only provide temporary pain relief. These topical applications usually cause a burning sensation at the point of contact on the canker sore and the numbing benefit is usually short-lived (less than an hour). Also, many topical applications are marketed to “promote” healing, but merely act as a barrier or provide an antibacterial agent to prevent secondary bacterial infections of the canker lesions.
The foregoing underscores some of the problems associated with prior art methods of treating mouth sores and ulcers. Furthermore, the foregoing highlights the long-felt, yet unresolved need in the art for a canker sore treatment that actually causes rapid healing. Moreover, the foregoing highlights the need in the art a non-prescription, homeopathic treatment of mouth sores and ulcers, such as canker sores. The foregoing also highlights the need in the art for an inexpensive, re-useable apparatus and method of treating mouth sores and ulcers.